Meanwhile, Back At The Skunkhole
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OK, I’m giving in to global pressure with a long-awaited skunk update.
You may recall that I’d been trying to evict a skunk that had taken up residence under the house last month.
I am most happy to report that, after a six-week effort, the skunk has moved on to what I hope is a more appropriate hole somewhere far away.
The trick? Persistance, a big bottle of ammonia, lots of rags and a long stick to shove them down the skunkhole. I crawled under the house to perform this procedure about every three days for a month and a half, soaking a rag with ammonia, pushing it into the mouth of the burrow and then covering everything loosely with dirt.
You’d think a skunk would get tired of such treatment after the first two or three times. But no. I had to repeat about 20 times.
And then, the skunk merely dug a new burrow under a fence in my side yard.
At that point, knowing he or she was no longer living under the front porch, I sealed that burrow shut good and tight. Getting the critter to leave the second burrow was much easier, since I didn’t have to crawl 20 yards in the dirt and the dark to get the job done.
We live along a large river narrowly wooded on either side. More animals will visit soon, but for now, I’m allowing myself the luxury of enjoying a house with no skunk.
Update: (Sigh) Something was scratching the attic floor above our bedroom at about 4 in the morning. It sounded playful, as if it were rolling a ball around up there. My guess: Racoon, squirrel or rat.
→ B.Dunn, Sep 19, 2005, 02 02 pm
